‘We acknowledge the unprecedented nature of the task of converting existing EU law into UK law. But as it stands this Bill is constitutionally unacceptable’, says Baroness Taylor of Bolton on the Lords Constitution Committee’s report (pdf), in January 2018.

Ahead of the second reading of the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill in the Upper House, the Select Committee on the Constitution have published a calling on the Government to amend the Bill.

The report finds:

The Bill is not clear exactly what retained EU law will contain; it potentially
captures laws that do not need to be saved and creates duplicate copies of
laws that have already been transposed into domestic law
The Bill fails to give sufficient clarity and guidance to the courts as to how to go about the task of interpreting retained EU law after the UK leaves the European Union
The Bill also seeks, unsuccessfully and erroneously, to perpetuate the
“supremacy” of EU law post-Brexit.
Read the full report (pdf).

The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill will receive its second reading in the House of Lords on 30 and 31 January. And the Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) is ‘particularly concerned with the human rights implications of excluding the Charter of Fundamental Rights from retained EU law’.

This is from JCHR’s January 2018 report (pdf) which analyses the European Union Bill.

The report finds:

Some of the rights will inevitably be lost as they derive from membership of the EU
Charter rights which are based wholly or largely on “general principles of EU law” will no longer confer an enforceable right (although the Government may reconsider its position on this). This means a loss of enforceable rights such as Article 1 (human dignity)
A number of the Charter rights derive from the ECHR and are incorporated into domestic law by virtue of the Human Rights Act 1998. Whilst these rights will therefore continue to exist and confer an enforceable right on individuals, the standing is narrower and the remedies are weaker under the HRA compared to the Charter.
Read the full report (pdf).

“Warning bells are sounding that rights women have gained during 42 years of EU Membership could be at risk, and in some instances wiped out.” This is according to the Deeds Not Words colloquium report, published in January 2018.

The number of children living in relative poverty in the UK (after housing costs) has increased to 4 million in 2015/16, says a December 2017 report from CRAE.

The number of children living in relative poverty in the UK (after housing costs) has increased to 4 million in 2015/16.

This is from a December 2017 report from the Children’s Rights Alliance for England. This report assesses how well the Government is meeting its obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

The Joint Committee on Human Rights call for written submissions on factors which may impede individuals from using the UK’s human rights framework effectively. The deadline for submissions is 26 January 2018.